Ventilating device



Dec. 2, 1958 v G, 0. S rrH ET AL 2,862,437

VENTILATING DEVICE v Filed Sept. 24, 1956 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 WWW 'GLENN 0. SMITH INVENTORS DALLAS G. REDDICK Dec. 2, 1958 G. 0. SMITH ET AL VENTILATING DEVICE 2' Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 24, 1956 GLENN 0. SMITH DALLAS G. REDDICK IN VEN TOR-S ATw R N EY v United States Patent P VENTILATING DEVICE Glenn 0. Smith, Moline, and Dallas G. Reddick, East Moline, Ill., assignors to Smith Filter Corporation, M0- line, Ill, a corporation of Illinois The present invention relates generally to ventilating systems and more particularly to filter cabinets having automatic fire dampers, grease traps, and other associated means, whereby sanitary, odorless and fire-safe conditions are easily maintained over cooking ranges, in kitchens, and the like.

The object and general nature of the present invention is the provision of a filter cabinet having a new and improved filter mounting, a new and improved fire safety damper that shuts off air flow through the unit in the event of a flash fire that may occur or be transmitted back of the filters, and new and improved grease and condensate trapping means, all neatly and conveniently arranged in a relatively inexpensive unit.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, after a consideration of the preferred structure in which the principles of the present invention have incorporated and which have been illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view, with certain parts in section, of a filter cabinet embodying the principles of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view, fragmentary in nature, taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view, taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view taken along the line 55 of Figure 2 showing the fire damper and automatic shut ofi switch actuated thereby.

Referringfirst to Figure l, the reference numeral indicates the filter cabinet in its entirety, the cabinet 10 having a top wall 11, which may serve as a warming shelf, end walls 12 and 13, which are generally triangular and flat, a back wall 14, a relatively narrow bottom wall 15, and front wall means 16 that is made up of an upper section 17 and a lower section 18, both lying in a common plane that extends generally upwardly and forwardly, as best shown in Figures 1 and 2. The front wall sections 17 and 18 are connected centrally by a specially formed channel member 19 having a relatively narrow web section 21, side flanges 22 and 23 and inwardly disposed laterally extending shouldered or abutment portions 25 and 26, the edges of which are folded back or beaded, as can best be seen in Figure 4. The

ends of the channel member 19 are fixed, as by screws 27, to the upper and lower front wall sections 17 and 18, as shown in Figure l. V 1

The forward edges of the end walls 12 and 13 are formed by turning the stock back upon itself, as shown at 12a and 13a, Figure 4, and then, laterally inwardly of the plane of the front wall means 16, turning the edges inwardly to form filter-receiving shoulders or abutments 31' and 32, which lie in a plane that also passes through the abutment portions 25 and 26. Filters F and F 2,862,437 Patented Dec. 2, 1958 ICE are normally disposed against the abutment portions 25, 26, 31,.and 32, as can be seen in Figures 1' and 4. These filters may be of any suitable construction but preferably are made of several layers of aluminum mesh of various densities encased in a channel-like aluminum frame, substantially like the filter shown in U. S. Patent 2,602,521, issued July 8, 1952, to Glenn 0. Smith, to which reference may be made if desired. The filters as employed in the present invention have frames 35 that are provided with holes 36 drilled or punched therein to facilitate drainage of grease and other condensate from the filters, as shown in Figure 3. 1 1 r The filters F and F are supported ina particular way in the cabinet 10 to facilitate the rapid and convenient insertion and removal of the filters.. As best shown in Figures 2 and, 3, the upper edge of thelower front wall section 18 has a first part 18a that is folded back upon itself, and a second part 18b that is bent upwardly and inwardly, forming a right angle, and is beaded, thereby forming a shoulder or shelf to receive the lower edge of the filter so as to support the latter. At one-or more points, openings 38v (Fig. 3) are punched or drilled in the lowermost corner of the filter support so thatany grease or other condensate from the filter drips downwardly into the trough 40 that is formed by the bottom wall 15, the lower front wall portion 18 and anassociated upwardly angled wall section 41 that lies between the wall portions 14 and 15. Theupward divergence of the wall portions 18 and 41 thus provides a grease trough that is readily accessible for swabbing out with a damp cloth, orfor cleaning in any other suitable way, and at one end of the trough 40 there is a drain 43 controlled by a valve 44 that provides for drainage after cleaning. When the filters are in place with their lower edges down against the lower parts 18a, described above, their upper edges rest against the associated upper sections 17. As illustrated in Fig. 4, when the filters are thus supported at their upper and lower edges, the sides are held in more or less close contact with the front faces of the abutment flanges 25,26, 31, and 32.

It will be noted from Figure 2 that there is a space S in the cabinet 10 between the top wall 11 and the upper front wall section 17, and above the associated filter, and as shown in dotted lines in Figure 2, this space permits the filter to be raised until the lower edge of the filter clears the upper edge of the lower front wall section 18 after which the lower portion of each filtercan be swung outwardly and downwardly and then lowered to entirely disconnect the filter from the cabinet. Thus, according to the present invention, the filtersmay easil'yand quickly be removed by simply lifting them up and out of the cabinet, with no latches, clamps or the like required. As will be seen from Figures 1 and 2, the filters extend upwardly and forwardly, away from the back wall, at about 45. Handles 46 are provided at each side of each filter. When the filter-s are to be placed in position in the cabinet, all that it is necessary to do is to place the upper edge of the filter against the associated flanges 25, 31 or 26, 32, then raise the filter until the upper edge comes up against .the top wall, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and then the lower edge of the filter can be swung in overthe upper edge of the front lower wall portion 18a and then dropped down against the associated lower flange of part 18b, the upper part of the filter being supported by the front upper wall portion 17. a

The top wall 11 is provided with an outlet in the form of an elongated opening 48, and communicating with the outlet 48 is a sweep type exhaust head 49 having a narrowed entrance section 51 converging upwardly to form a round opening 52 for simple and convenient coupling to a duct or the like that leads to the associated ure"5, the upper or back edgefof the damper 56 being 'rolledto receive the hinge 57, as indicated at 59, the hinge "57' be ng a. pin or the like, carried in brackets 61 fixed to the upper portion of theback wall 14. The fire damper 56;is releasably held in open position,lying snugly against 'theback'wall 14, as shown in Figure-2, by a fusible link 63,the latter being made up of two parts connectedto- 'gether by material that fuses at-about 270 F. The link 63 is connected at one end to'the back wall 14 by a connector 6 4 and at the other'end to the fire damper 56 by a similar'connector 65. .It will beznoted that the fusible link 63 is located directly in back of the filters, and at any time that the temperature of the air passing through the "filtersexceeds 270the parts of the link 63 separate, and mmediately, the fire damper closes by the rapid action "of the springs58. This into the exhaust duct 49.

Asawill beseen from Figuresl and 5, a switch unit j70 'is mounted on the upper side of the top wall 11 and includes-an operating lever 71. The unit 70 is of conyentional construction, so far as the presentinvention is concerned, and is of the type that is normally closed, electrically interconnecting two leads 73 and 74 that extend to and control the fan motor. When there is, for example, a flash firein the cabinet, and the link 63 releases the fire damper, the closing of the latter brings the damper into engagement with the switch lever 71 and the closing of the damper moves the lever 71 to a position interrupting the'circuit to the exhaust fan. A-suitable opening in the top wall 11 accommodates the lever 71.

While we have shown and described above the preferred structure in which the principles of this invention have been incorporated, it is to be understood that our invention is not to be limitedto the particular details shown and described above, but that, in fact, widely different means may be utilized in the practice of the broader aspects of our invention.

What we claim, therefore, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. jIna ventilating system, a cabinet having a back wall, a lower ,wall, a top wall, .and means forming a downwardly and backwardly angled front wall havinga filter-receiving opening, filter means carried in said opening, said front wall having a shoulder spaced below the lower edge of said filter-receiving opening but lying above said lower wall, said shoulder extending inwardly of the cabinet to provide a shelf below the lower edgeof said-opening and extending inwardly of the cabinet to receivesaidfilter neans with the lowene-dge of the latter above the lower wall of the cabinetand inwardly of the lower portion of said front wall, .said shoulder having opening means in the -lower portion lying inwardly of the inner face of the -lower portion of the front wall means, whereby grease and other material may drain through said-openprevents any passage of flames .ing means but remainwithin the-cabinet and inwardly of the filter means, so that the lower portion of the interior of the cabinet serves as a trap forrgrease, moistureand the like collected by the filter.

*2. Ina ventilating system, a cabinet having a back wall','a top wall,a bottom wall, the latter extending out- -wardly-6f the back wall a distance appreciably less than the top wall, and front wall means includinga lower por- -tion having anupper-- edge below which-is disposed an inwardly directed filter I receiving shoulder, filter means carried by saidshouldersand having upper and lower emarginaltprtions,1said front wall means also including an .upper; portion substantially in the plane of the lower porends of said back, top and bottom walls and said front wall means, each of'saidend'walls having forward edge portions formed with laterally inwardly extending edge portions spaced inwardly from the plane of said upper and lower front wall portions a distance substantially equal to the thickness of said filter means, the upper ends of said laterally inwardly extending edge portions terminating at points belowsaid upper wall and adjacent the lower edge of said upper front wall portion, whereby said laterally inwardly extending edge portions form filterreceiving shoulders adapted to engage the inner faces of the edge portions of said filtermeans, when the latter is in place, said upper frontwall portion extending downwardly from the top wall a distance sufiicient to support the upper marginal portionof the filter means when the lower marginal portion of the latter is carried by said first mentioned filter receiving shoulder, the distance between the upper edge'of said lower front wall portion, and the top wall adjacent said upper front wall portion being greater than the corresponding dimension of said filter means, whereby the latter may be inserted through the space between said upper, and lower front wall portionsand the upper marginal portion of the filter means at the inside thereof brought guidinglyagainst said laterally inwardly extending .edge portions, afterwhich, guided by said edge portions,

thelupper end of the. filter means may be inserted into the upper part of the cabinet behind said upper front wall portion, and the lower end of the filter means passed over the upperedge of thelowerfront wall portion and then brought up against said laterally inwardly extending -.forward edge of each of said end walls being folded back upon itself and having a laterally inwardly extending part forming'a filter-receiving part or abutment disposed inwardly of the plane of the front wall sections adistance corresponding generally to the thickness of the associated filter, a center member fixedi at its-upper and lower ends to theupper and lower front wall sections and including laterally outwardly filter-receiving flanges disposed back of the plane of said front wall sections a distance equal to theabove mentioned distance, said center abutments thereby lying in theplane of said laterally inwardly extending filter-receiving parts, the lateral distance between each of said folded back end wall edges and the adjacent edge of the center membercorresponding -to the width of the-associated filters, the distance between the upper and lower edges of the lower and upper front wall sections ,being less thanthe height of; the associatedflter and thedistance between the upper edge of the lower front wall section and the top 'wall-beingappreci-ably in excess of the height of the filter, whereby each filter may be inserted from the front of the cabinet by first laying the upper edge-of the filter against said'abutments, then raising the filter until the lower edge can be, passed over the upper edge; of the lowenfront wall'section and the filter brought into complete contact with both upper and lower portions of said abutments, and a filter-supporting upper front wall section.

4. Ina ventilating system, a cabinethaving a back wall, a top wall, and means forming .a front wall having an opening in which filter means is disposed, there being a second .openingin one ofsaid topland back walls adjacent the juncture of said top and back walls to provide for passage of air from the inside of the cabinet out through said second opening to a fan or blower unit, a fire damper hinged to one of said top and back walls adjacent said second opening and swingable, in the direction of air flow out through said second opening, from a position substantially flat against one of said top and back walls over into a position closing said second opening, suction from said fan or blower unit tending when operating to hold said damper closed tightly over said second opening, spring means acting against said damper to bias the same for movement in the direction of said air flow to a position closing said second opening, and a temperature-fusible link connected to the damper and one of said top and back walls for releasably holding said damper in position substantially flat against the associated Wall so as not to obstruct normal air fiow through said cabinet and out said second opening.

5. In a ventilating system, a cabinet having a back wall, a top wall, vertically spaced apart upper and lower front wall sections forming therebetween a filter-receiving opening, the forward edge of each of said end walls being folded back upon itself and having a laterally inwardly extending part forming a filter receiving abutment disposed inwardly of the plane of the front wall sections a distance corresponding generally to the thickness of the associated filter, the distance between the upper and lower edges of the lower and upper front wall sections being less than the height of the associated filter and the distance between the upper edge of the lower front wall section and the top wall being appreciably in excess of the height of the filter, whereby the filter may be inserted from the front of the cabinet by first laying the upper edge of the filter against said abutments, then raising the filter until the lower edge can be passed over the upper edge of the lower front wall section and the filter brought into complete contact with both upper and lower portions of said abutments, and a filter-supporting shoulder on the inner face of said lower front wall section and disposed a distance below said latter upper edge such that when a filter is supported thereon the upper edge of the filter bears outwardly against the inner face of the upper front wall section.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 314,121 Gilman Mar. 17, 1885 2,218,330 Eliason Oct. 15, 1940 2,584,613 Pledger Feb. 5, 1952 2,621,755 Gray, Ir Dec. 16, 1952 2,719,476 Dovolis Oct. 4, 1955 2,746,449 Pledger May 22, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 166,701 Switzerland Apr. 2, 1934 

